But what is CRM? It is actually about looking after and recognising your customers as individuals, in it’s most simple form.

Think about it this way – as a person in the working world, do you like praise, appreciation and thanks? Do you like to be treated as an individual? If you’re a regular customer at a coffee shop or a bar, do you like the fact that your host recognises you and gives you a bit of extra attention? I bet most people would answer yes to those questions. Why? Because it makes you feel valued. I know for me, tell me I’ve done a great job (only if it’s deserved obviously!) and I will move heaven and earth for you. We all love to feel special at times. Now, if you like it, how do you think your customers would like it?

As a paying consumer I am often amazed at what a brand promises and what a brand delivers on the ground. How many of my friends and colleagues, as well as me, just get mediocre service at best. It is all too often the case that we are sent from pillar to post just to try and get an answer, and half the time we don’t get an answer at all. We give up, and you know what, will probably just take our business elsewhere without airing our grievances to those who really should know – the company that we’re dealing with. We do however tell all our friends about the shocking service we received, and this as we know can be harmful. Don’t get me wrong, it is impossible to please everyone, but it’s how you as a business are geared to deal with unhappy campers that makes all the difference. Customers often feel like a little number in a huge pool of big numbers…quite frankly they shouldn’t.

Now think of the flipside – you walk into your local coffee shop, which is a small business. The owner comes over and greets you and says would you like your normal? Wow, you feel quite delighted! I remember in my youth in London, without giving too much away about my age, we were regulars at a particular pub. They would see us coming down the street and as we walked in our drink was ready and waiting, whilst all the other customers were waiting in line. We felt special, so we kept going back, over and over again.

In my opinion, big businesses have a lot to learn from small businesses in most instances. The difference lies in the fact that small businesses are fighting for survival and are always engaging with their target audience on a much more personal level.

But there are some corporates doing it really well. Take www.kulula.com as an example. At each and every point I engage with them, on their website, on a plane, their call centre…the message about who they are is very clear and they live and breathe it. The cabin crew especially are amazing and to me they completely and utterly are a true representation of their brand.

So, hopefully you can see where I’m going…to keep your customers delighted, engage with them and treat them as individuals. In my years of experience with big corporates in London and in South Africa, it forever has, and always will amaze me at the reluctance of big companies to implement a truly world class CRM strategy. In so many instances, businesses focus on chasing the numbers for new customers, tend to forget a bit about their existing customers, and don’t really have a plan on how to keep the new customers that they’re getting. Bad idea!

I believe that CRM is an absolutely critical element of any marketing plan and should not be ignored. It comes at a cost, which is often the stumbling block for companies…your software, your database, your infrastructure and your staff all cost money but are important elements in getting it right.

As a customer does it frustrate you when a company gets information wrong…your name, your address, your title or what you’ve bought? I get frustrated and that’s why the investment into your database has to done, and it has to be done properly. Data cleansing, de-duping, unsubscribes all need to be done. You might even need to conduct a telephone drive to make sure your database is up to date, but the investment is well worth it.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, there are a lot of companies out there that are realising the value of CRM Strategies…and are investing into world class CRM programmes. They will do well. Of course to do well, they will have to get it right! But that’s part of the challenge and that’s what makes it more exciting…it has got to be a fundamental part of your marketing plan.

I would love to hear your thoughts on your experiences of CRM…look forward to your comments.